The discovery in the wall safe sent a cold dread through me. Gable’s betrayal ran deeper than I could have imagined, echoing back decades. But it still didn’t fully explain Nico’s immediate and aggressive hostility towards *me*. There had to be another layer.
I walked quietly to Maya’s room, a small, brightly lit space on the second floor. She was sitting by the window, sketching in a notebook, her breathing a little strained. Her asthma had been acting up more often lately, and it worried me.
“Hey, May,” I said softly, sitting on the edge of her bed.
She looked up, a small smile touching her lips. “Hey, Leo. Everything okay?”
I shook my head slowly. “Not really. I need to ask you something, and you have to be completely honest with me, no matter what.”
She put her sketchbook down, her expression serious. “Okay.”
“Have you been sick? More than usual?” I asked.
Her eyes darted away for a moment. “Just a little. My chest hurts sometimes.”
“Maya,” I pressed gently. “Has anyone been threatening you? About doctors’ bills, anything like that?”
Her breath hitched. Her shoulders drew inward. “How did you know?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
“Loan sharks?” I prompted, my blood running cold.
She nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. “They came to the clinic. They said if the bills weren’t paid, they’d come for you, Leo. They said they knew where you lived, where I lived.”
A wave of protectiveness, sharp and fierce, washed over me. Maya, my frail, sweet sister, caught in the crossfire.
“Who helped you?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“Nico,” she confessed, her voice thick with emotion. “He found out. He told me not to tell you. He said he’d handle it, that he’d take care of everything.”
Her head dropped. “He told me he’d been working extra jobs for Eli Gable, trying to pay it all off.”
“How much was the debt, Maya?” I asked, my throat tight.
She sniffled. “$85,000. For the new medicine, the emergency room visits. Nico said he’d pay every cent, so they wouldn’t touch us.”
The pieces clicked into place with a sickening finality. Nico hadn’t turned on me out of pure malice. He was desperate, trying to protect Maya from a debt he had taken on himself. He was working double shifts for Eli Gable, trapped and vulnerable, leaving him completely open to Gable’s lies about me stealing money.
Nico’s hostility wasn’t just a betrayal; it was a desperate shield. He thought he was saving us by aligning with the man who was bleeding us dry.
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